Over 1 lakh micro food processing enterprises get assistance under PMFME scheme: Minister

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A total of 1,08,580 micro food processing enterprises have been approved for assistance under the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme (till October 31), the Parliament was informed on Thursday. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) provides financial, technical and business support for setting up or upgradation of micro food processing enterprises under the PMFME scheme.

The scheme is operational from 2020-21 to 2025-26 with total outlay of Rs 10,000 crore, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu, said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The ministry has been incentivising food processing entrepreneurs, including small and medium, for setting up and expansion of related industries through its Central Sector Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) Scheme, Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and centrally-sponsored PMFME scheme across the country.

Under sub-schemes of PMKSY, the ministry provides mostly credit-linked financial assistance (capital subsidy) to entrepreneurs with total outlay of Rs 5,520 crore for 15th Finance Commission cycle. The ministry said that it has also sanctioned 41 mega food parks, 399 cold chain projects, 76 agro-processing clusters, 559 food processing units, 61 creation of backward and forward linkages projects and 51 operation green projects under corresponding component schemes of PMKSY (till October 31 this year).

On the other hand, the PLISFPI scheme aims to support creation of global food manufacturing champions and support Indian brands of food products in international market. The scheme is being implemented over a six-year period from 2021-22 to 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore and 171 food processing companies have been approved for assistance under various categories of the scheme so far, said Bittu in his reply.